


Bursts of Color

by sad_goomy



Series: Lonashipping Week 2018 [6]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Budding Love, F/M, LONASHIPPING WEEK, Post-Canon, Silvally is actually the ultimate wingman, SnowLilyShipping, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, had to up the rating because Moon swears once like a hooligan, lonashipping, mahinashipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 11:29:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15605310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sad_goomy/pseuds/sad_goomy
Summary: Everyone has a black smudge on their body, where they'll first touch their soulmate, and once they do it will become a rainbow mark.At least, that's how it's supposed to work, but Moon's situation is a little more complicated and Gladion isn't entirely sure if he buys into it.





	Bursts of Color

 

"Where's your mark?"

The question pierces her chest and leaves a trail of frost to bite at her in its wake. Moon freezes in place, the hand that was petting Silvally's neck now dropping uselessly to her side.

She knew it would come up eventually, but she never expected Gladion to be the one to notice.

Silvally cocks his head at the lack of attention, watching as she slowly turns to look across the office to where Gladion stands, leaning against his desk with his arms folded. Still, she can make out the black smudges that line his fingers – a common spot for marks. As they've grown closer over the past weeks, she's found herself checking his marks more and more frequently, and she can't quite explain why she's always relieved to find that they haven't transformed into bursts of color.

She stalls for time, crossing her arms as she chuckles half-heartedly. "Why? Looking to touch it and see what happens?"

His eyes widen for a fraction of a second and then he's looking down and away, bangs falling to cover the blush on his face. Something tells her that answer hit a little too close to the truth, and it feels like Jumpluff are trying to escape her stomach, crawling up her throat and making her mouth go dry. Moon's grown worryingly used to the feeling whenever she hangs around her not-quite-rival.

He clears his throat, playing off the moment of awkwardness with a shrug. "I've just been thinking about them more, ever since Lillie and Hau..."

 

Though it was nearly a month ago, the memory is still fresh in their minds. She had been training with Hau when Lillie and Gladion decided to visit Iki Town. With the sun beginning to set, the four decided to grab dinner, heading down a familiar path as they chatted. Lillie, not watching her step, managed to stumble, and in a flash Hau caught her, and Moon gasped, the first to notice the change.

The black smudges on Lillie's forearms and Hau's palms had bloomed into brilliant brushstrokes of pastels and jewel tones.

Lillie and Hau stayed behind, left to have an awkward conversation that ended in laughter and hugging and exciting realizations according to them both.

Gladion and Moon proceeded to have the world's most uncomfortable dinner, in which they both had to pretend they didn't just witness their sister or best friend find their soulmate.

 

Moon nods, biting her lip. "Yeah, hard not to." While she'd been overjoyed for both of them, the entire event still served as a bitter reminder to her.

She gets lost in her thoughts and lets silence settle over the office. Gladion shifts, not sure what she's thinking and feeling himself grow more anxious, wondering if she's finally seen right through him.

"Not that I'm even sure I buy into the concept," he argues with no one, watching Moon snap back to reality.

A ghost of a smile tugs at her lips. "No, you don't seem like the type who would." It's comforting to hear, knowing she isn't the only one who feels like an outsider about something that seems to define everyone else's life.

"I just...everything about our lives is so random. It's hard to believe that we're just destined to be with one person out of the hundreds we'll meet – and then what about all the people we'll never meet?" She can't help but chuckle when his rant picks up steam, Gladion beginning to gesture with his hands and scowling. Hearing her laugh, his body immediately relaxes, and he can't help but smirk at his own seriousness. "Sorry, I don't mean to be so negative."

"All part of your charm," she assures him. Behind her, Silvally lays down, deciding that if he isn't going to get attention that he's instead going to take a nap.

Gladion rolls his eyes, not quite wanting to believe her (but liking the thought that she might be right about it). "I digress. Life just seems a little too unfair for soulmates to really work."

_Unfair, huh?_  Moon takes a deep breath, realizing that though she hadn't pictured it happening this way, if there's anyone she's going to tell, it's going to be Gladion. Still, she's not entirely sure how he'll respond, since he's managed to surprise her plenty of times as they've gotten to know each other.

She bites the bullet.

"I don't have a mark."

He blinks, his eyes growing wider by the second as her words fall in the space between them. Moon holds her breath, waiting for his reaction.

"...oh."

She waits for him to continue, but he fidgets – comforting people isn't his strong suit, but he tries his best and she can tell he's still trying to figure out the right thing to say. She quickly assures him, "It's not a big deal to me. At least not anymore. I've heard about other people without marks, so it's not like I'm the only one."

"Still," he interrupts her, sensing the tension that she tries to hide underneath the surface. He takes a few steps forward, not sure what he's trying to do but feeling like he should be closer when he says, "I'm sure it doesn't help that everyone around us talks about it nonstop."

Moon shrugs, feeling the typical discomfort around the topic crawling up her neck. "I've gotten used to it."

The silence weighs heavy on their shoulders, and Gladion frowns when he sees her curling in on herself; she's meant to bloom, not wilt. "I think it's kind of cool, actually."

She raises a brow. "Really?" she chuckles, and he smiles because this so much better than her frowning at the floor. 

This is probably the most upset that he's seen her since they've started to get to know each other, and Gladion immediately dislikes it. Her laugh makes him straighten, and he keeps going, trying to get her back to the bright state that he knows and loves. "I'm serious, it adds to your mysterious air."

"Watch out, maybe I'll come for your bad boy image."

"I'd like to see you try."

The two begin exchanging quips at lightning pace, and don't notice that Silvally has grown restless behind Moon. The Pokémon stands, wanting attention and quickly realizing that he's not going to get it with the two trainers so wrapped up in each other. A gentle tap of his head against Moon's back only gets him a quick pat on the head, so he decides that it's time for desperate measures.

Moon squeaks when Silvally licks half of her head, giving her the world's worst cowlick.

Gladion tries not to laugh as he scolds his Pokémon, Moon giggling as she tries to fix her hair once more. Silvally looks pleased with his handiwork, retiring to his bed in the corner and allowing Gladion to turn back to Moon.

She stops fussing with her hair, and the second she lets her hands drop, half her hair sticks up straight in the air, causing Gladion to snort. "Here, let me help," he mumbles, stepping closer and carefully running his hands through her hair to put it back in place. Moon holds her breath when she catches his green eyes, wondering if he knows that there are brilliant flecks of gold scattered throughout the emerald.

His breath hitches and he withdraws his hands from her hair like it's a hot stove, staring with wide eyes.

Her brows furrow. "What are you -"

But then her eyes flicker to his fingers, and where once there were black smudges, now there's a blur of rainbow. She looks just past him to catch her reflection in the window and staring back at her is her face with a new head of rainbow hair.

They stare at each other for a long moment, the beat of their hearts nearly loud enough to break the silence.

Moon says the only thing that she can think of in this moment, when she's finally uncovered the mystery of her mark only to immediately learn that one of her best friends is destined to be her soulmate.

"Well shit."

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the sixth prompt for Lonashipping Week 2018, "Soulmates." Also technically my last one-shot for the week since for the last day I decided to make a playlist, so thank you for reading!


End file.
